I bought this Hawaiian Bell telephone stock certificate some years ago. I thought it was unusual because the Hawaiian Telephone Co was never a Bell System Company. With a little research I discovered in 1880 the petition for a charter of incorporation the name being offered was Hawaii Telephone Company. The word Bell was added to the name out of courtesy to the inventor. In 1894 Hawaiian Bell Telephone Co was merged in to Mutual Telephone Co. Mutual Telephone Co operated under that name intil 1967 when it was purchased by GTE Corp and the name went back to GTE Hawaii Telephone Co. Later to become Verizon Hawaii, Inc. I have added a book The Hawaii Telephone Story copyright 1958 by the Hawaiian Telephone Company. written by William A Simonds for the seventy fifth anniversary of the founding of the Hawaiian Telephone Company.

Shop for:

Comments

downingsf, 5 years agoBamboo is an appropriate frame for that - nice find Tom!

Let me add ... having done my own research on this, (resources - a privately printed book on HI Tel history , which i own, and trips to the archives. Contact me if any questions: downings at hawaii-dot-edu) .

All the Hawaiian telephone companies eventually merged into Mutual Telephone Company. Mutual later became GTE and most recently Verizon (back to Hawaiian Tel - 2005). Hawaiian Bell Telephone (1880) drew heated competition from Mutual Telephone (1883) until they merged in 1894 - the first of many companies to follow. As of 2005, the name is: Hawaiian Tel

There was also a 'temporary' HI Bell Tel certificate used prior to this of which less than 85 where ever issued [I have some of each, issued and unissued in my collection which I'm trying to liquidate, being no longer interested]. Also the one you have was originally printed two certificates to one page, so removed from the frame you should find 3 sides are perforated.

The original equipment ..... was rented from Bell Tel in England, first (at the behest of the brother of) on Maui by:
Charles H. Dickey (1842-1932) - RR Agent & telegraph operator for Illinois, Wisconsin, & Iowa Railroad (1866); Established 1st commercial telegraph line (1875); First owner/user of telephony in Hawaii, Spring of 1878; Merchant (3 stores); Postmaster (Paia) 1884; Maui Telephone President....
and also rented by HBTC.
The story is Charles ran the first line between his house and store (up the side of the volcano because by road the distance was 3 miles).